Eventually, Web users will be able to do virtual interactive tours of historic events and places in Pennsylvania. For instance, people "could see a panoramic view along a trail, zoom in to read the inscription on a Civil War monument, or go back in time to witness the change of seasons on a historic battlefield," the governor's statement says.

New technology developed through a partnership among Google, Carnegie Mellon University and NASA's Ames Research Center combines thousands of digital images to create panoramic images that, when merged with time-lapse, let people explore the space through time.

About the author

Elinor Mills covers Internet security and privacy. She joined CNET News in 2005 after working as a foreign correspondent for Reuters in Portugal and writing for The Industry Standard, the IDG News Service, and the Associated Press. E-mail Elinor.
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